Stolen Time
by winterromance
Summary: "So over the past three weeks, since school let out, I have been meeting with someone. They are the only family I have left. He's my brother."-Secrets uncovered, relationships made, and love found in the trio's last year at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok so let me know what you think. Should I continue? Is it good? Would you want to keep reading?-Thanks!**

The moon was high and full, just like the night when they became friends. This time was different however. All their friends were here now to witness the joining of the two. They all had come a long way since that first night. They had gotten over petty grudges and prejudices. As she walked down the aisle towards him she was filled with immense happiness and joy. She didn't think she would ever be granted this wish with the way war had gone. She took in every inch of him trying to remember this moment forever. The way his hair shone in the moon light, his black tuxedo, his eyes alight with excitement and love. He was taking in her as well; he was amazed at her beauty like always. Her white gown was strapless and flowed around her like water. He turned to the man next to him and nodded. They too, had become very close. He knew he couldn't have made it through without either of those two people. The war had uncovered hidden secrets and had changed him for the better. In a crazy way, he owed the Dark Lord.

* * *

><p>There was a tapping on her window very early in the morning. She knew it was an owl; she knew that it was probably one of her friends; she knew it could be important; she knew she should get up; she just couldn't bring herself to move. The tapping got impatient and more insistent. She rolled herself to the edge of her bed and let the pesky owl in. She recognized Harry's owl at once, which dropped the letter on her desk and flew away with an irritated hoot. She opened the letter wondering what could be so important.<p>

_Hermione,_

_Sorry it's so early. I hope you're well. I have big news that I need to discuss with you and Ron. I need you to come to the Dursley's. They're leaving for the day; be here at 8:15 am. _

_With Love,_

_Harry_

Hermione thought this was strange. If Harry was asking them to meet at the Dursely's then it must be huge. He also didn't let on what it was in the letter; it must be top secret. Owls were getting intercepted more commonly now. She looked at the clock and noticed with was already 6:45 am. She wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep so she gathered her robe and went to shower.

She flooed to the Dursley's at exactly 8:15 am. Harry had connected the network without the knowledge of his aunt and uncle. He wanted some way to stay connected to his friends. Ron wasn't there yet, just as she had suspected. He was always late; except to meals. Harry was pacing in front of the fire place and almost ran into Hermione when she came through. He immediately gave her a hug.

"Hermione, it's so good to see you." Harry seemed nervous. His hair was out of place, more than normal, and he hardly ever used pleasantries like 'it's good to see you'.

"Hi, Harry. What's going on? Is everything ok?" Hermione worried about both her boys all the time. Even more so when they acted worried. Then she knew there really was something to worry about.

"Something came up. Let's wait 'til Ron gets here though. I only want to explain once." Hermione nodded. She sat on the couch and waited for Ron's arrival. She watched as Harry continued to pace and wished Ron would hurry up. She really wanted to know what Harry knew. Ron showed up about 5 minutes later which seemed like an eternity to the other two. Harry went through the same greeting with Ron, who looked at Hermione worriedly. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders. Ron came and sat next to Hermione on the couch and they both looked at their friend expectedly.

"So over the past three weeks, since school let out, I have been meeting with someone. They are my family-" Ron opened his mouth to say something but Harry cut him off. "-Please let me finish, Ron. They are the only family I have left. He is my brother. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. Dumbledore confirmed it himself. I have a brother." He stopped pacing, which he had been doing through his small speech, and turned to face his friends.

"What? You're kidding, right mate?" Ron laughed slightly, unsure if this was a joke or something.

"No, Ron, I have a brother." There was a smile on Harry's face when he said brother.

"Who is it? Do we know him?" Hermione, of course, needed all the facts before she knew what to feel. Harry hesitated for a minute, not looking at her directly. "Harry?"

"Draco Malfoy." He looked at his two friends waiting for the explosion of anger he knew would be coming.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron didn't believe Harry at first. He thought it was some big joke that Harry was pulling on them. Hermione sat quiet, trying to take it in. Harry was trying to convince Ron it was actually the truth.

"Harry," Hermione called. Harry didn't hear her over the yelling that Ron started to do after he realized it wasn't a joke. She tried again, louder this time. "Harry!" Ron stopped yelling and walked to the window. He was still shaking his head in disbelief. Harry turned to Hermione. "How?"

"Well, Dumbledore said that the prophecy was changed. Someone altered it to take Draco's part in it all out. It was really supposed to be that the two of us are Voldemort's equals and we both have to defeat him. We think Sirius had Draco when the attack happened. That's how he survived. When they came to arrest Sirius for my parent's murder, they assumed Draco was his and sent him to live with Sirius' cousin, Narcissa Malfoy. The Malfoy's knew that he was a Potter so they decided to raise him and eventually use him against me. They even put glamour's on him so no one would know. Dumbledore and the order thought he died in the attack so they didn't even think to look for him." Harry was now sitting on the couch in Ron's spot. His shoulders were hunched forward and he looked incredibly tired. "We only found out because Draco came to the Order for protection. They had beaten him pretty badly and he was in and out of consciousness but he kept saying that he said he wanted to help and he didn't want to become a Death Eater. After they fixed him up a bit they started questioning him. He said he overheard his father talking to his uncle about how he was a waste of time and how the plan didn't work. He said should have just killed Draco when he showed up on his door step. He was found out and tortured but the first chance he got he got himself out of there."

"How do we know that he really is your brother? That Voldemort just didn't set this all up?" Hermione was excited to hear that Harry had family left but she was very worried that it wasn't true and he would get hurt, if not killed.

"Dumbledore had him take Vertiserum and he also did some ancestry spells on him. It's him, Hermione. Draco is my brother."

"So that's it then? We just go ahead and trust him? And what do you mean when you say you've been meeting with him?" Ron had moved from his spot from the window to stand in front of Harry now.

"I go Grimmauld every day when the Dursely's are gone. I sit with him and we talk. He is still healing and can't do much. But we talk about everything. We actually get along." Harry again had a smile on his face as he talked about his brother.

"Harry! How can you sit there and say you're befriending the enemy!" Harry's smile fell as he stood up to looked Ron in the eye.

"He is no longer the enemy. He is my brother, Ron. I will not abandon the only family I have left." Harry used his stern, that's final tone and Ron chose to shut up. "I actually have to go, I told him I would be back today. You're welcome to come with me and talk to him yourself. It would mean a lot to me." Harry was looking hopeful between the two. Hermione nodded her consent to Harry.

"No. Absolutely not." Ron said moving back to the fire place. "I'm sorry Harry, your my best mate, but I don't trust him." With those final words, Ron flooed back to the Burrow leaving Hermione and Harry behind.

_At Grimmauld _

When Harry and Hermione arrived at Grimmauld Place, they went straight up stairs to one of the bed rooms. Harry had warned Hermione that Draco was still bed ridden but also how he was different then he used to be when they were younger. When they entered the room, Draco was sitting in a bed in the corner of the room reading the _Daily Prophet. _He looked up as they walked in. Harry sat down on the chair next to the bed and Hermione stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed.

"You can sit if you would like." Draco said motioning to the end of his bed. He smirked a little. "I won't bit."

"Thank you." Hermione tried to sound confident but she was still wary of him.

"How're you feeling mate?" Harry picked up the _Daily Prophet _from Draco's lap and started to scan through it.

"I'm feeling a lot better. Remus says that I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow. I'm getting bloody restless sitting here all day."

"You're in the _Daily Prophet._ Did you read it?" Harry turned the paper around to show Draco, who nodded, and then to show Hermione who grabbed it and started reading out loud.

_Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, has been rumored to have abandoned his family; if that is even his real family. A source, who wishes to remain anonyms, has said that Draco Malfoy is actually Draco Potter. The long lost, carefully hidden son to James and Lily Potter. The Malfoy family has been rumored to be involved with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and it was also rumored that Draco Malfoy has refused to engage in such involvement. It is unclear if…_

"How did they get this information? Have you told anyone but Ron and I?" Hermione first looked at Harry who shook his head and then to Draco.

"I've been bed ridden for three weeks, of course I didn't say anything. And I doubt Lucius or Narcissa would say anything. That article really isn't showing them in a good light."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who review, I appreciate it :) keep 'em coming so I know what you all think! Thanks!**

Harry, Hermione and Draco spent the afternoon talking about who could have leaked the information on Draco. They came to the conclusion that it had to be someone within the order or someone who was close with his parents. The article wasn't exactly the best piece of publicity for the Malfoy family but Draco was sure his parents wouldn't go to the press with this. They would be shamed. So it was either an Order member or a Death Eater. Neither was a good.

Hermione and Harry left at 5 pm when Harry announced that he had to get back before the Dursleys. Hermione made an excuse to leave as well, as she felt uncomfortable being there with Harry and didn't want to be there without him. Just as they were leaving Draco called out for Hermione to stay. Harry nodded to his brother and gave his best friend a hug and whispered in her ear.

"It's ok." Harry hastily gave her a peck on the cheek and left the room. Hermione, unsure of what to do, lingered in the door way, waiting for him to say something.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Granger. I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to make eye contact with her to convey his message but she very pointedly averted her eyes.

"I know, Malfoy." She couldn't think of anything to say. She had never been afraid of Malfoy in their younger years, but as they grew up, he became more of a threat. He knew all kinds of dark magic and she knew that if they got into a fight he could easily over power her. She knew he had all kinds of training in order to become a Death Eater, so when she said I know, she was lying. She just couldn't let him know that.

"I also wanted to say, thank you for coming here with Harry. I know it means a lot to him and I know that we have never been on good terms, but I appreciate it. I would also like to put everything behind us and start fresh." Again he never took his eyes off of her. She was feeling unnerved by it and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well Harry is like a brother to me and I won't abandon him. As for starting fresh, it'll be hard but for Harry's sake I guess we should try."

"Good." He smiled a little at her awkwardness. "Bye, Granger."

"Bye, Malfoy." Draco smiled even bigger when she shut the door behind her. She was so uncomfortable around him. He couldn't blame her though. He felt weird having her sit on his bed the whole time. She wasn't the same girl he remembered though. She was still a know-it-all and she still had a bossy attitude but she seemed to be able to control it better. Draco noticed how she kept pulling her bangs out of her eyes and getting annoyed with them. Her hair in general was different. It was still big but it was in uniform curls now. Her body had grown into itself also. Draco mentally slapped himself for looking at his brothers best friends like that but he couldn't help it. His musings over Hermione were interrupted when Remus came in with his dinner.

Hermione was lying in her bed thinking of her afternoon. She was still getting used to the fact that Harry wasn't an only child. He had a brother and that said brother was Draco Malfoy. Hermione couldn't stand Draco because of his incessant teasing about her blood status, but now he was a half-blood. She wondered how he felt about that. Hermione was curious about him and curious about the relationship that Harry had formed with him. They seemed to get along good and all the former petty grudges they held against each other were gone. Draco seemed more mature both mentally and physically then she remembered. He was well mannered the whole time she was there and even thanked her for coming by, albeit for Harry's sake, not his. His body was well toned from what she could tell. He had broad shoulders and strong looking arms. Hermione couldn't help but think he looked good, despite the cut he still had on his forehead from the attack he escaped from the manor. Hermione groaned and rolled out of bed before she could continue on thinking this way.

A few days passed since Hermione's visit to Grimmauld with Harry and Draco; she was still having a hard time remembering he was Harry's brother. Once again, her mind was filled with thoughts of who could have outted Draco and Harry's secret. She had even made a list of everyone that was staying at Grimmauld. Her list was over 15 people long but none of them had a motive that she could find. She couldn't make a list of the Death Eaters that were there because obviously she didn't know. There was a tapping on the window that broke her through her thoughts. She let the owl in and noticed the letters it was holding. Hogwarts.

_Dear,_

_Miss Hermione Granger_

_Congratulations on receiving Head Girl this year. You worked hard and you will be expected to keep up that kind of discipline. Enclosed is your badge and list of required items for this year. You are expected to be on the train by 11 am and be ready to patrol the younger years. If you shall have any questions, fell free to owl._

_Headmistress,_

_Minerva McGonagll _

Hermione was pleased with her position as Head Girl. She had indeed worked hard to be awarded this honor. Just as she was going through her list of requirements there was another owl that flew through the window.

_Hermione,_

_I just got my letter. You should come and stay at Grimmauld with me. I left the Dursley's for the summer. Finally. I'll be glad when I don't have to go back there next summer. I wrote to Ron also but all things considering, I don't think he'll come. Let me know soon._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Hermione agreed with Harry, she didn't think Ron would accept the invitation. He was too stubborn. But she wasn't, well yes she was, but not when her friend needed her. She quickly wrote Harry a reply stating that'd she be there tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

Grimmauld was busy when Hemrione arrived around 9 pm. There was some kind of meeting that had just ended in the kitchen and she could see people leaving. She recognized a few of them and said a quick 'hello' before they left. When she saw Harry come from the kitchen she hugged him and then followed him up stairs. She dropped her things off in an unused room, taking off her jacket and shoes and then went into Draco's room after Harry.

She nodded at Draco as a way of a greeting him and then sat back down on the edge of his bed like she had done before, this time tucking her bare feet underneath her.

"Back so soon, Granger. Just couldn't get enough of me I see." She was about to scold him when she looked up to see him laughing. He was joking with her apparently. She had never been on the receiving end of a friendly joke from him before. This caused her mind to go blank therefore she couldn't throw a witty response back at him. She just smiled and shook her head and heard Harry laughing as well.

"Don't encourage him, Harry." She said in a stern tone but couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"So what was the meeting about?" Draco now spoke seriously to Harry, who again was seated on the chair next to his bed.

"Well, they think they may have found out who leaked the information but they're already dead."

"What?"

"Who?"

"Blaise Zabini's father." Harry knew that Draco and Blaise were friends and didn't want to be the one to tell him this.

"And Blaise and his mother? Are they dead?" Draco's brow was furrowed with worry for his friend. Blaise had always been more on the quiet side but he was a loyal friend to Draco. He had also been destined to be a Death Eater like Draco and had probably already had his initiation. Draco knew that if Blaise had the choice he wouldn't have chosen that life for himself. He wasn't fortunate enough to get out of it like Draco.

"They found his mother dead, but they couldn't find Blaise. They aren't sure if he is dead, on the run or still with Voldemort. I'm sorry mate."

"Don't be. If he wasn't found dead then that means he is on the run. I know he doesn't want to be a Death Eater."

"Well I hope not because the Order is looking for him. They think that if his father was willing to sell out your 'parents' then they couldn't have been all bad. And of course Dumbledore wants to try and protect Blaise."

"Good,"

"Was that all Harry?" Hermione spoke again.

"No, there was another attack on a muggle village. The Order wants to help defend them but we don't know when and where the next attack will be. They are so sporadic." Harry stood and walked to the other side of the room running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"They'll figure something out Harry." Hermione tried to console him but could see that it wasn't working.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to bed. Good night Draco, Hermione." He nodded to Draco and gave Hermione another friendly kiss on the cheek before he left. Hermione fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, again nervous about being left with Draco.

"How are you feeling?" She asked unable to look at him.

"Better. If it were up to me I'd be out of this bloody bed already."

"It's for your own good." She heard him grunt followed by a long silence. "I'm sorry that you had to grow up away from your real family."

"It's ok, it wasn't a total waste. How much did Harry tell you?" He was watching her as she looked anywhere but at him. He smirked again at her uncomfortable behavior.

"He really didn't tell us much. Just that you were taken by the Lucius and Narcissa and that you were his brother and that he trusts you."

"Where is Weasley? I didn't expect him to visit with me but I at least thought he would have been at the house with Harry and you."

"Ron didn't take the news well. He blew up at Harry and said how we shouldn't trust you and all that. Needless to say, Harry was upset with him. You're the only family he has left. Don't hurt him." When she made this request she finally made eye contact with him only to find him still looking at her. She quickly glanced away.

"He's the only family I have too, Granger." There was a pause before he spoke again. "So you must have taken the news well then? You're here."

"Well, the way I see it, Harry is like the brother I never had and I would do anything for him. He needed a friend here and so I came. It had nothing to do with whether I trust you or not or whether I even like you or not, it had to do with Harry. Ron, he-"

"Well, do you?" He interrupted her.

"Do I what?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I…well, see…" she paused to get her thoughts in order, "to be honest? No. I hardly know you. I trust that you aren't going to turn on Harry and I or the order. But Harry trusts you and so I know that I could learn to also." He nodded in response to her. He knew she wasn't going to say that she trusted him but it was different actually hearing it. "How close _are_ you and Harry?"

"Close. He comes over every day and we talk for hours on end. I think I know just about everything about him and vice versa. I even learned a little about you and Ron too."

"Oh yeah?" She wasn't sure how she felt about him knowing things about her. "Like what?"

"Well I know that you're a complete bookworm, but I didn't need Potter for that,"

"Harry," She corrected.

"Habit. I also know that you have a passion for music, you hate qudditch, and that makes you crazy," he laughed when she huffed at him, "and you're a loyal friend to Harry, among other things."

"Humph," she was hoping she would be able to correct him on something but everything that he said was true, except her being crazy. He laughed at her unintelligent response. She noticed that he seemed happier now then she had ever seen him before. Even after all he had been through he seemed to be ok. She also noticed that she liked his laugh too and it made her smile in return, just hearing it.

"Well, I'm going to get to bed." She stood from his bed and yawned. "Good night, Malfoy."

"Draco," He now corrected her.

"Draco," She smiled as she turned away heading for the door.

"Good night Hermione."


	5. Chapter 5

It was already ten o'clock in the morning when Hermione woke up. She hadn't slept in that late in quite some time and she felt like half her day was already gone. She hurried to shower and dress before heading downstairs for a late breakfast. On her way, she noticed that both Harry's and Draco's doors were open and neither of them was inside. It was then that she remembered Draco telling her that he would be able to leave his bed today. It was weird to her knowing that he was out and about instead of tucked away in his room. She sighed to herself before continuing down to the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty except for Lupin who sat at the table reading the _Daily Prophet_. He only looked up when he heard her sit down across from him with a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"Good morning Hermione," he said lowering the paper, "How are you?"

"I'm good; still trying to get used to Harry's new brother." It still sounded so foreign to say aloud.

"Ah, yes. It's hard to believe that after all these years of thinking that he was dead only to have him under our noses the whole time."

"Speaking of them, where are they?"

"They are out back training."

"For what?" Hermione had a momentary panic attack, thinking that there might be a battle coming up that she knew nothing about.

"Draco lost a lot of strength when he was injured and also while recovering. Harry is helping him get back into shape." The dread in her stomach dissipated at Lupins words. She nodded in understanding before depositing her empty bowl in the sink and going outside to find the two boys.

What she saw amazed her. Even though it was still early in the day, there were flashes of light everywhere. It was quite obvious that they were dueling, but what wasn't obvious was who was winning. She watched silently as Harry would dodge curse after curse and would send some of his own back to Draco who would equally dodge or deflect them. To Hermione it seemed that Draco was in top shape and didn't understand why they were out here. All of a sudden Harry called off the duel and walked over to Hermione.

"Hey, 'Mione. Slept in a little later the normal, eh." Harry teased her. He knew she was normally a morning person and for him to be awake before her was odd.

"Oh quiet you. That bed that you have in my room is terribly comfortable so technically it's your fault." She stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manor causing Harry and Draco to laugh. "So Lupin said that you guys were training out here to rebuild Draco's strength but it looks as if he doesn't need the training."

"Well, Draco has been on bed rest for the last few weeks so we wanted to test out how much work he needed." Harry started, "and with what he says, he needs a lot of work."

"You make me sound like an old broken down car," Hermione was surprised he even knew what a car was.

"But you seemed to be dueling just fine with Harry," While she spoke these words she became very aware of the fact that he was able to duel again.

"Well that's because Harry is terrible at dueling," Draco earned a shove in the ribs by Harry for this, "Hey, don't you know I'm still hurting!" Draco said in a hurt voice but couldn't keep amusement from showing. Turning back to Hermione he said in a more serious voice, "I used to be able to take on three Death Eaters by myself. Now, I'm having difficulty taking on Harry alone. It's not just my dueling skills that have been hindered it's my physical strength as well."

At the news that he could take on three Death Eaters by himself, Hermione was shocked. He must have had some incredible training to be able to do that. There was a hint of doubt in her mind as well though. She wasn't sure if he was exaggerating or if he really could do something like that. She remembered him saying, 'it wasn't a totally waste' when she had brought up that he was raised by people other than his family. He must have been thinking about all the Death Eater training that he received.

"Well then, I'll let you boys get back to work." Hermione said but heard a scoff come from both of them.

"Boys? You mean men." Harry said puffing out his chest while Draco raised his chin in an effort to look even taller than the six feet he already was.

"Yes, very handsome young men!" Draco said before he and Harry started laughing. Hermione smiled at the silly interaction between the two. They really did seem to get along well and even reminded her a little of Fred and George Weasley. Draco seemed to be at complete ease with Harry; she had never seen him act this way before and she decided it wasn't bad either.

"No, I think 'boys' was they correct word."

They laughed as she turned and re-entered the house where she stayed for most of the day. She sat herself in the window of the library on the second floor so she could watch the duel that continued outside. She had a book open in her hands and after watching for a few minutes she let the book consume her.

It wasn't until later that night when someone came to find her. She had fallen asleep on the window seal and awoke when she heard someone calling her name.

"Hermione, Hermione, wake up. It's time for dinner." Harry got a groan in response as she opened her eyes to see him kneeling next to her with a smile on his face. His hair was wet indicating that he had just gotten out of the shower.

"What time is it?" She asked rubbing her eyes as she stood up.

"It's almost 7. You've been asleep up here for a few hours."

"What about lunch?" She asked confused. She was still partially in the sleep state where her mind couldn't grasp onto things as easily.

"You read through it, or slept, I'm not sure which. Draco and I never even broke for lunch; I guess the others figured you come down when you were hungry." He shrugged his shoulders.

"How's the training coming along?" She stretched her arms over her head and then began to follow Harry from the room, her mind slowly waking up.

"Good, I can tell he is getting stronger. I'm actually learning a lot from him too."

"Hmm, Draco Malfoy teaching Harry Potter something. I never thought I'd see the day." She joked as they descended the stairs.

"Yeah yeah." Harry laughed.

They reached the kitchen and found that Draco along with Lupin, Tonks, and Dumbledore were already seated and ready to eat. Harry sat next to Lupin and Hermione took a seat next to Draco. Dinner was a noisy event; even with the small amount of people tonight.

"Is it always like this?" Draco leaned over to ask Hermione. She had forgotten that he had always been served dinner in his room and this was the first time he experienced this. She laughed a little at the look on his face.

"Yes, sometimes worse. I bet it's far different than what you're used to right?" She could imagine him wearing dress robes and being served by house elves while an elegant piano played in the background.

"Very different. Only because everyone here seems so relaxed…and happy." He was still surveying everyone while he spoke.

"Well that includes you now too," She smiled at him now as he looked at her. He smiled back feeling that she had might have finally accepted him.

Eventually Draco joined other conversations and Hermione watched him closely. He was so interested in what Lupin was talking about that he didn't notice Hermione looking at him. She couldn't help but think that he fit in so well here. She didn't know what it was like in the first few days after he arrived but now he seemed to get along with everyone. He was nice, polite and even seemed to be in better spirits here then she had ever seen him. She smiled again at his enthusiastic response to Lupin before she turned to Tonks and engaged her in conversation.

Hermione was cursing herself later that night. It was midnight and she was unable to sleep because of her long nap that she took earlier. She decided to go outside to the garden and look at the stars. She grabbed her sweater and two blankets before heading down the stairs and out the back door. Once outside she laid one blanket down and then laid herself down and pulled the other blanket over her. There were no clouds out tonight so she had a good clear view of the stars. There was also a full moon which lit up the area around her ever so slightly. She was out there for about an hour before she was disturbed.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing out here at this hour?" She lifted her head to see Draco walking towards her.

"I could ask you the same thing." She countered as she laid her head back down and continued her perusal of the stars.

"I woke up and looked out the window to see some crazy person lying on the lawn in the moon light." Even as he spoke about her being crazy for being out there, he himself laid down next to her.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Well, I wouldn't be able to either if I spent half the afternoon napping." It was silent after that until Hermione felt him shiver next to her.

"Here," She said as she lifted her blanket over him.

"I thought you'd never share. I was about to freeze to death." It wasn't too cold outside but there was a breeze and wearing sleeping pants and a tee shirt wasn't enough to ward off the chill.

"I'm glad to see your newfound heritage hasn't affected your sarcasm."

"So what exactly are we doing out here?"

"Well, I'm looking at the stars but I think you're out here to just annoy me." He smirked at her response glad to know that he could still annoy the girl.

"I would never do such a thing." Draco raised a hand to his chest and acted offended that she would even suggest something like that. She just laughed in response. After a few moments Hermione broke the silence that had settled between them.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think will happen when we go back to school? Will you be expected to act like nothing happened? Will you stand by Harry? What will the rest of your house say?" Her voice was quiet but he could tell she was very worried. She was looking at him now, waiting for his response. He looked so relaxed lying there with his arms folded behind his head.

"I hadn't given it much thought." He spoke to the stars, "Though to be honest, I wouldn't leave Harry for some silly house at school. It doesn't really matter though. Dumbledore gave me Head Boy. I think that he was worried about me causing trouble with the other Slytherins." He smirked at the thought.

"And what about us? Do we go back to bickering every time we see each other? Or do we stay friends?"

"Do you consider us friends?" He asked looking at her curiously. He hadn't thought that she considered him a friend already, or that she even would so he was surprised when she answered.

"Well, yes. We are lying on a blanket in the middle of the night looking at the stars. I figure that's something that I would only do with a friend."

"Well, we may be friends but we will still bicker all the time." At her confused look he only smiled as he turned his head back to the stars and said, "What? It's fun arguing with you."

The two stayed there under the stars and the full moon, asking random questions about one another. Hermione finally felt at ease in his company and she felt she could trust him. She was surprised at how much he made her laugh and also at how he smiled when he did so. It was rare and she was glad that she was able to get that out of him.

"So why isn't Weasley here again? I mean, I know he doesn't like me but is he really that stupid?"

"My theory is that Ron is jealous of you. You have given Harry something that no one else has been able to. Ron and I tried, but it wasn't the same as a real family; a real brother."

"He thinks I'm taking Harry away from him." It wasn't a question, just a statement.

"Yes. Ron has never been the most logical person when it comes to relationships." She knew he would catch her slip but even still she prayed he would let it go.

"Relationships? As in, you and him, together?" Draco always knew that Weasley had feelings for Hermione but he never guessed that she mirrored those feelings. Hermione sighed at his perceptiveness.

"A few years ago, kind of. I don't know what I was thinking but I liked him. That was until I saw him snogging Lavender Brown. Considering we weren't together, he did nothing wrong, but I do know that he knew that I had been interested in him." Draco listened while she prattled on about her past. "So I finally move on from him, and then he decides that he likes me too and wants to start dating. I'm actually glad that he is so hot headed and didn't come here. I would have had to deal with him even more. I only turned him down a few weeks ago you know."

"He's an idiot." Hermione nodded in agreement choosing not to say anything. "I'm sorry, Hermione, for what I've done and said to you in the past. I know that these words probably mean nothing to you but I have to say them." He was looking up at the stars, unable to meet her curious gaze.

"I forgive you, Draco." This time the silence stayed between them.

After a while Draco felt something touch his side. He looked down to see Hermione fast asleep. She had rolled onto her side and shifted closer to Draco for warmth. He smiled at her before standing and stretching. He knelt down, collecting her and the blankets in one swift motion and carried her inside and up to her bed.


	6. Chapter 6

A week had passed since Draco and I had lain beneath the stars. That was the night I came to fully trust him. Harry, Draco and I fell into an easy routine. The boys would be up before sunrise to practice dueling, potions or whatever else they needed for training while I would sleep in a little longer. After having breakfast I would join the boys and watch their training sessions, sometimes joining in but mostly reading. After spending so much time outdoors watching them, I had finally developed a decent tan which I was pretty proud of. When the boys weren't training we would spend our days at the small lake behind the house. Tonks had put a charm over it to help keep people away and to help keep us safe.

For the most part we were left alone. The only other people living in the house were Remus and Tonks and they tried to keep to themselves as much as possible. There were others who came and went but usually had very little to say to us. The order meetings were only being held every other week here and this left us out of the loop.

"Harry, Draco, Hermione!" I recognized the voice of Tonks calling us. "It's almost time!" Tonight there was an order meeting here. The three of us were excited to find out what was going on out in the real world. Harry and Draco stopped their dueling and came over to where I was seated. Draco offered his hand to help me up while Harry grabbed some of the books had brought with me.

"Are we really that boring to watch, 'Mione?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"I don't know how she focuses on reading when she could be watching our epic duels." Draco chimed in. They had be doing this a lot lately; ganging up on me albeit in a friendly way. They almost reminded me of Fred and George.

"I bet she was secretly watching."

"Can't be too obvious about her obsession."

"Oh yes, you caught me, Draco! I just didn't want to come on too strong so I devised the brilliant plan of "reading" while you guys duel." I did the air quotes when I said reading and Draco just laughed at it.

"I knew it!" He was grinning like a mad man as he slung his arm over my shoulders and started following Harry into the house. Once inside Harry threw all my books onto a table and rolled his shoulders back dramatically.

"Oh, I think I threw out my back carrying all your books," he said while groaning. I just rolled my eyes at him and tried to ignore him. Draco, however, laughed and continued to guide me into the kitchen where the meeting was to be held. The first thing we saw was a flash of red hair.

"Oh, Hermione! I've missed you so much!" Ginny threw her arms around me causing Draco's to fall away and a coldness to run through me. I hugged the younger girl back and laughed at her dramatics.

"I've missed you too, Gin." As I let go of Ginny she ran and hugged Harry, much in the same fashion. I rolled my eyes at their display. They still hadn't confessed to each other that they love one another but they sure showed it. Draco's arm found its way around my shoulders once more and began leading me to a chair. It was weird. I wasn't the type of girl who liked to be told what to do or where to go but when Draco did it, and he did it a lot I've noticed, it wasn't something that I minded. It was almost natural for him to do this. I also enjoyed the feeling of warmth I got when he touched me. For some reason whenever we would walk together his arm would find its way to my shoulders. It confused me greatly because he was my best friend's brother and a friend as well. None of my other friends ever did this with me. When his arm would be around me, though I would get butterflies in my stomach and when his arm was removed my stomach dropped all together. I wasn't sure if I was starting to get feelings for him or if I was just going insane with no male intimacy.

We sat down next to each other with Harry on my other side and Ginny beside him. I took notice of who was at the meeting and was surprised to see the amount of people here. Most of whom I didn't know their names. Those I recognized were Dumbledore, Remus and Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Severus, the twins, and Ronald. The latter I noticed was glaring at Draco and I didn't expect anything less. This was the first time he has seen Draco since Harry spilled the beans to us and he obviously still hasn't accepted it.

"We have decided that Harry and Draco's situation must be made known." Dumbledore started. "The Dark Lord already knows and the press will found out next week when school starts again." There was some muttering and objections before Dumbledore spoke again. "It has already been done and will run in tomorrow's newspapers. So on to bigger news, Severus?" He gestured to the old greasy man before sitting back down.

"There has been and increase of attacks on muggles within the last few days. The Dark Lord is trying to send a message to the Order: No matter what we do, we cannot protect everyone. He thinks if he kills hundreds of people like insects that Potter and Draco will surrender themselves."

"We will never surrender to that sorry excuse for a wizard!" Harry stated rather strongly. I agreed though, there was no way that we could surrender. We would be the first to be killed.

"We have no intention of surrendering Mr. Potter." Snape said in his usual bored tone. "We are simply waiting for Voldemort to make his big move."

"Yeah, wait even longer for him to kill more people and become even more powerful than he already is. Smart." Ronald just had to open his mouth and speak. It was bad enough he was here after everything he did and said. Before Snape could explain his reasons though, Draco beat him to it, albeit probably a little harsher then Snape would have.

"If he plans the attack we could be ready for him and surprise him, therefore getting an advantage. With Snape here to give us all the details we need we could easily crush him. If you weren't so thick and wrapped up in your own pathetic world you might, _might_ have been able to figure that out. Now shut up with your stupid comments so we can continue this meeting." Everyone was looking between Draco and Ron with their eyebrows raised; waiting on pins and needles to see what would happen between the pair. Draco, I noticed looked completely at ease, leaning back slightly in his chair. He was glaring at Ron though; I thought for sure Ron would burst into flames with the intense of Draco's stare. I could hear Ron's ragged breathing from across the table. His face was red from anger and I have to say I was extremely surprised when he actually kept his mouth shut.

"Now that is all taken care of, we can move on." Snape continued after a few moments of silence and angry stares.

Two hours later, the meeting was over and I was feeling fully drained. I could hear everyone saying their goodbye, asking each other to be safe. I was in a daze as I rose from my chair and began to follow Harry out of the room, Draco by side. Someone calling both mine and Harry's names broke me of my daze. I turned to see Ron standing a few feet away with his hand stuffed in his pockets looking nervous. Harry was already standing next to me ready to address him.

"I was wondering if you guys wanted to come to the Burrow tonight. You know, like old times?" Ron said looking between Harry and I, careful, I noticed to avoid Draco.

"I think it would be kind of packed with three extra people there." Harry stated. I had a feeling he knew Draco wasn't invited and wanted it to be evident that he would be coming along no matter what.

"Well, two. I'm already there so it doesn't really count." Ron tried.

"Your forgetting my brother. If I go, he goes." Harry was acting very diplomatic about the situation. He held a tone of indifference in his voice. Ron, however, didn't like this.

"There's a strict no ferret policy at the Burrow, Harry. You know that." He turned from nervous to snide in a blink of an eye. I didn't know what was wrong with him. I knew that he never like Draco but the way he was treating Harry was bizarre.

"Well good bye then Ron. The meeting is over, you have no more business here." Harry turned and walked away, leaving me staring at Ron with a disgusted look on my face.

"You can still come, Hermione. We can have some alone time." I was shocked how he boldly suggested this to me in front of Draco.

"You disgust me Ronald. Harry's right, you need to leave." As I said this I felt Draco put his arm around me and begin to guide me away. I had a sneaking suspicion that Draco was smirking at Ron because I could hear a string of cuss words leave Ron's mouth. I glanced up at Draco once we were out of the room and sure enough there was a huge shit eating grin on face.

"I bet you loved that didn't you?" I asked. I wasn't angry with him just honestly curious. Draco always loved pissing off Ron, I don't think that will ever change.

"Well, not all of it. Don't get me wrong, seeing weasel get refused like that, twice no less, was entertaining, yes. But however much I enjoyed that, I didn't enjoy getting insulted, or how he turned his back on his supposed best friend, or how he thought he could use you like that. He has no grasp on family. Next time I won't be so gracious as to let him walk out of here." I saw his jaw clench while he was talking and it struck me how much Harry means to him now. His eyes were focused ahead of himself as he navigated us through the house and up the stairs.

When we entered Harry's room we were surprised to see it transformed into a mini movie theater. Although instead of the stiff uncomfortable chairs, there was a big squishy couch. The previews were already rolling as we sat down.

"I thought we could use a little wind down after all the excitement tonight." Harry stated with a small smile as we settled. Draco, unsure of what was going on, raised his eyebrows in questioning.

"Just sit back and enjoy." I told him as I laughed and conjured some popcorn.


End file.
